Nuclear Weapons

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EJIL:The Podcast! Episode 18 – “Be Careful What You Ask For”

In this episode Dapo Akande, Marko Milanovic and Philippa Webb are joined by Philippe Sands (University College London and 11KBW) and Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh (University of Amsterdam and University of the South Pacific). The focus is on the advisory function of international courts and tribunals. In December 2022, the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS) requested an advisory opinion from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on climate change impacts arising from ocean warming, sea level rise and ocean acidification. On 9 January 2023, Chile and Colombia signed a joint advisory opinion request to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the scope of state obligations for responding to the climate emergency. On 20 January 2023, the General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the ICJ on “Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”. On 20 February 2023,  a core group of states, led by…

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Nuclear Weapons and International Law: The Impact of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

With Honduras being the 50th state to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on the 24th of October 2020, the 90 day countdown has begun for the treaty to come into force. Honduras also happened to ratify the treaty on UN Day, and not just any UN day, but the 75th anniversary…

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The ICJ and nuclear disarmament: towards a universal obligation?

Today is the anniversary of the ICJ’s Nuclear Weapons Advisory Opinion. We would like to revisit, and invite readers to reflect on, one particular conclusion (not discussed in previous posts on the Marshall Islands cases here, here, here), contained in operative paragraph 2 F (§ 105) of the Opinion: “(t)here exists an obligation to…

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‘With Friends Like That, Who Needs Enemies?’: Extraterritorial Sanctions Following the United States’ Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Agreement

On Monday 21 May 2018, the US Secretary of State announced that, as a result of its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (‘JCPOA’ or ‘Iran Nuclear Deal’), the United States is set to impose the ‘strongest sanctions in history’ against Iran. While the remaining states parties are committed to preserve the Iran Nuclear…

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So, Has This Ever Happened Before?

For the past week or so I’ve been enjoying the start of my sabbatical in New York, as a visiting professor at Columbia this semester. And for the past couple of days I’ve been enjoying – well, experiencing – the chaotic collapse of parts of the city during the UN General Assembly. And today I could enjoy –…

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